, 1887-01-16
CONTAGIOUS EYE DISEASES.
How They Are spread by Towels. FIJI
and s~pectacles.

How They Are spread by Towels. Files
and Spectacies.
To mention n few of the modes of con-
tagion, | have to speak, in the first place,
of towels, especially of that abominable
institution known as the roller towel,
which has been used so much in asylums
where forty, fifty or more children use
the same towel, whether they have gran
ular lids or not. True, in a great many
of these cases the existence of granular
lids was not known; but even in cases in
which the existence of the disease was
evident, the Ignorance or carelessness OF
the persons in charge has allowed trans
mission by means of towels to be one OF
the most frequent sources of contagion.
AS a carrier of the c%ontagion the house
fly plays an important role. especially in
cases of young children who are not able
to protect themselves against the visits of
this little animal. Attracted by the
swedish DIOR of the discharge it will set
tie upon the eyes Of children affected
with the disease, especially infants, and
carry the contagion in its claws to the
other eye or the eyes of sleeping infants.
Spectacles may be the carrier of the
contagion. | remember the case of q
loiiiik ihlN Oti Nv Iia y
factorily how she came to have granular
lids. Upon her return to school she men,
toned that she had granular lids, where
upon one of her classmates said: why,
that is the disease which | have been suf-
fering from for the last six months.
This classmate was near sighted and used
glasses. My patient was also near sighted,
but had not used glasses, and whenever
she wanted to see anything at a distance
she was in the habit of borrowing the
spectacles of her friend, and there is no
doubt in my mind that this was the
means of carrying the poison from the
classmates eye to my patients eye.
Children with granular lids are very
apt to rub the eyes, because the secre-
ton, as it begins to dry on the edge of
the lids, causes an irritating, itching
sensation. They will now play with other
children, and from their hands transfer
the poison to the hands of the other chill
dren, and these latter rubbing their eyes
contract the disease. Handling objects
which have been used by granular lids
patients may be the means of carrying
the contagion. A young lady who vol
unteered to teach children affected with
granular lids, and who had been isolated
from other children in a certain institu-
ton, was warned to be extremely careful
with regard to using handkerchiefs,
towels, or anything which belonged to
the children. She was well aware Of the
danger, and promised to be very careful.
She handled nothing whatever, she said,
that belonged to the children, left her
cloak outside, and in the class room kept
away from the children a distance of five
or six feet. But upon examination of her
eyes, fourteen days after she had taken
office, it was found that she began to suf-
fer with granular lids. Upon inquiry l
found that she had taken %copybooks and
states of the children for correction, and
in all probability she got the poison from
the states and books on her hands and
then conveyed it to her eyes. A teacher
of another section in the same institution
was more careful; she simply walked into
the class room. did not touch anything
belonging to the children, and for two or
three months, during the duration of this
epidemic, she was not affected by the dis
ease. The atmosphere had evidently not
been the carrier of the contagion in the
first case.-Medical and Surgical Reporter.